Any sourness felt towards the club was lost in the dank Genovese night.At first, the problems on the field which have undermined them in league competition were apparent. Attilio Lombardo was indeed offside as Roberto Mancini ran on to score but, arms aloft as of old rather than reacting to the new relaxed interpretation, Arsenal's back four were caught out.What followed was the inspiration that experienced legs can still summon on rare, heady cup nights but lack on frequent, routine league afternoons - as similarly ageing, domestically fading Sampdoria are themselves encountering.Battered, bruised, never bowed, Ian Wright pounced. And Arsenal drew on all of theirs to reach their second successive Cup-Winners' Cup final. While the Italians and the Dutch displayed their erudition, Arsenal supplied the emotional appeal. Football at its most attractive, as demonstrated by Milan and Ajax in reaching the Champions' Cup final, is about style, grace and ingenuity. But there will always be scope for simple, raw heroism to triumph. IT was a week when the top technocrats of Europe again showed themselves to be playing on a higher tactical plane than the British Then came Arsenal: cussed, magnificent Arsenal. Since league racing in speedway started, is it correct that this sport has had the biggest turnover of teams in UK sport? - Kevin Maguire, BatleyIy you know the answers to any of these questions, or have a sporting question of your own you would like answered, write to:Q & ASports DeskIndependent on Sunday1 Canada SquareCanary WharfLondon E14 5DLFax: 0171-293 2894.

Which grand prix driver initiated the now standard post-race ritual of spraying champagne? - Adrian Brodkin, London N2Q. I was surprised to read recently in a magazine that dragsters can reach 300mph in only five seconds This sounds too fast to be true Is it correct? - Deryck Teasdale, SouthallQ. With the US Masters golf tournament having just finished, what is the origins of the famous green jacket? Do the winners get presented with anything else other than their prize money (ie a trophy) and why is the presentation not done outside in view of the public who have paid to see it as well as the golf? - C Matthews, Weston-super-MareQ. At one point the ball was heaved over the south stand and out of the ground. The players stood around for a while and it gradually became apparent that a replacement ball was not available. We went up to the back of the south stand in time to see a club official knock at the door of a nearby house to ask for his ball back.

Fortunately, this request was granted and after a break of several minutes the game was able to resume - Jeff Hoyle, King's Lynn.Q. Can anyone tell me who was the first black cricketer to play county cricket, for which club, when and at which ground?A. An early non-white cricketer to play county cricket was K S Ranjitsinhji, who first appeared for Sussex in 1895 against the MCC at Lord's, when he scored 77 not out and 150. He represented Sussex from 1895 to 1904, being captain (the first non-white captain of a county side?) from 1899 to 1903. He took part in 14 Test matches for England and his final season for Sussex was 1912 - Kenneth B Stone, BexhillANSWERS PLEASEQ. Some years ago the Football League adopted the seemingly illogical scoring system, whereby three times as many points are scored for a win as for a draw One purpose was to encourage attacking play and more goals. Was there, in fact, any increase in the average number of goals per game? And was there a year in which important League placings would have differed significantly if the old points systems had still been in use? - Peter G Large, London SW15Q.

Wordsworth actually took part in both events (1829), ending up on the winning side - Tim Mickleburgh, GrimsbyQ. A feature of matches at Recreation Park, Alloa, is for the ball to leave the ground either on to the Clackmannan Road or on to the disused railway line Does this happen at other grounds?A. I remember attending a reserve game at Gigg Lane in the early Seventies between Bury and Liverpool, which featured such players as Peter Thompson. This liaison made contact possible, and he has been called the "inventor" of both the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race and Cricket Match. For several years, however, Henley Regatta was used for the match, which did not become an annual race on the Tideway until 1856.Incidentally, Varsity contests at rackets (1855), tennis (1859), athletics (1864) and rugby football (1871-72) show just how long the tradition of Oxford v Cambridge sport is.Credit, though, should be given to Charles Wordsworth, an Oxford man whose father was Master of Trinity College, Cambridge, for starting things off in the 1820s. However it was not raced on the Thames, but over the 21/4 miles between Hambledon Lock and Henley Bridge: Oxford covered the distance in 14min 30sec.The next race was not until 1836, held from Westminster to Putney and won by Cambridge in 36 minutes.